I Get Attached...

Twenty plus years ago I made my sons each a wooden P-51 Mustang. I worked a long time getting them just right. I sanded and finished them with care. Aside from a rocking horse they were my first real projects. I gave them to the boys. My six year old made plane sounds as he ran around the room with his plane, spinning the propeller… gently landing it and taking off again. His brother, then four years old, held his plane and admired it for a moment before he hurled it through the air into the wall. The propeller broke off as it crashed to the ground. Egad!

The boys still have those planes and now that I have a young grandson I decided that I needed to make a plane for him. The plane you see here is from a popular plan that can be found in toy plan books. I like it. In fact, now that it is finished, I think I’ll keep it… at least until I can impress upon him the importance of soft landings.

Side note: Sanding and priming and painting oh so carefully… after four coats of rustoleum yellow, I applied several coats of clear coat. During the last coat of clear I picked up the wrong can and sprayed a large part of it with silver metallic! Ugh… I fixed it, but felt rather foolish.

Looks good, ive done some planes for my boy, but he is still chewing on them, so im scared of the painting aspect. I like the deep yellow on this one. Also the engine behind the prop, ill put one of thise on the next one for sure.

Are the knobs you mention in your signature Floyds knobs? I’m in Indy.

Good story and model! I was baby sitting our three year old granddaugther and she saw a wooden plane model on my workbench. She asked if she could see it, then she asked hold it. I said “OK, but don’t drop it!” She held it for a moment and then proceeded to launch it to the cement floor. Needless to say, I did not survive it’s maiden voyage.